They are no longer Frundt & Johnson

Blue Earth-based law firm now Frundt, Lundquist & Gustafson

August 26, 2018

After exactly 20 years as Frundt & Johnson, the Blue Earth-based law firm is getting a new name.

Frundt, Lundquist & Gustafson.

"The name change became official on Aug. 1," says partner Daniel Lundquist. "After we finished all the paper work and filed with the Secretary of State's office."

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Ryan Gustafson, David Frundt, and Daniel Lundquist officially changed the name of their law firm to reflect their shared ownership.

The name change also signifies a change in ownership. The three partners involved in the law firm are David Frundt, Lundquist, and Ryan Gustafson.

"Actually, I became an owner of the firm about five or six years ago," Lundquist says. "But, we didn't change the name. Not even when Mike Johnson retired in late 2015. But then, when Ryan became a partner last year, we decided it was time."

The three say they have been working on the change since the first of the year, but admit they are so busy working for their clients that doing their own work was on the back burner at times.

"There has always been the name Frundt in the company name," says David Frundt. "I am a fourth generation partner in the law office."

His great-grandfather Henry John Frundt started the law office, followed by John Henry Frundt, then David's father Chuck Frundt.

There have been others involved in the firm as well, as noted by the changes in the name over the years.

David Frundt joined the firm in the fall of 1998. Daniel Lundquist came on board in March of 2007. Ryan Gustafson in September of 2011.

"I think one of the important things is that we are all small town guys and are all committed to life in a small town and understand what that means as far as servicing our clients," Lundquist says.

Frundt grew up in Blue Earth, Lundquist in Wheaton and Gustafson in Arlington.

"And all three of us are graduates of William Mitchell College of Law, now known as Mitchell-Hamline College of Law," Lundquist adds. "William Mitchell is very well respected for their clinical program, in that they teach not just what the law is, but how to effectively practice law.

The three attorneys are staying very busy, they all agree. One of the reasons is that their law office has had as many as four, and even five, attorneys at some times in the past. But now it is just the three of them.

Plus, they have taken in the clients of the former Randy Bichler office in Wells and Bill Barke office in Blue Earth. And, Winnebago attorney Doug Johansen retired recently.

"It has put some extra pressure on us, for sure," Lundquist says. "We have discussed ultimately getting a fourth attorney into our office again, but at the moment we are able to serve the community with the three of us."

There is another reason they can handle the amount of work they do.

"We also benefit from having an excellent staff here," Frundt says. "They are all great people, effective, friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. It allows us to concentrate on service to our client base."

The fact that all three men are from small town, rural Minnesota helps them understand what people in smaller communities need an attorney to do for them.

"We can't really specialize in one area," Lundquist says. "We all three have to do general law practice in a wide variety of areas."

The three men say they balance their busy work schedules with their family time. Frundt and his wife, Angie, have three boys who are in middle and high school; Lundquist and his wife, Jenny, have four children who are 12, 10, four and one; while Gustafson and his wife, Mary, have two children with one more on the way.

So after 20 years with the name of Frundt & Johnson, and a rich history of serving the communities in Faribault County, Frundt, Lundquist and Gustafson say they are excited about continuing that heritage.

"I think we will be around here for a long time," Lundquist says. "And we are all three happy to be a part of the community."